The Book of Matthew
by LusciousNesha
Summary: This is THE LAST story or offshoot I plan to upload from The Eye series, here. It is a comprehensive look at Matt Rutherford's life and world from his first year of jr.high, through and beyond the tragedy and terror he's been put through by white supremacists. I don't plan on bringing any more Eye Series stories to life here that haven't already been started.
1. Chapter 1

_So, I've been debating on whether I want this to be the primary space for The BOM or not. I feel like I take up SO MUCH SPACE on the FF site with this AU paracosm, when I probably could better handle it in a blog. So, I might do the way that I used to and have it posted both places. I'm definitely having an alternate version (with original names) set for my Unshackled Monologues account, to adapt it to an original work more easily._

 _That being said, Happy Birthday, Sweetiedee85. Here's to you, my love. And Belladuke! Good luck, always. Happy Belated to Matt Rutherford. He deserved better than what we know he gets. Here is his story..._

 **Matt's Manhood Mainspring**

In a few short weeks, summer vacation would be over and Matthew Rutherford Jr. would be going to junior high. He was excited about this. This was when his career path would start. This was when he would start shaping himself to be the best that he could be. His father had always told him that as a parent, it was always his goal to create sons better than himself and to make daughters who find men greater than himself. 11 was far too young to understand this thought process, but he'd heard it for as long, so he at least knew that it was a goal and he knew that goals took hard work.

His mother had been working on some seminars about neurological science, while his father was on a leave of absence from work to deal with some personal issues. Matt wasn't privy to that type of information, but he knew that it had something to do with his father's mental stability, because his mother had prescribed the man medication.

Matthew Sr. had stressful work. The entire family knew that much. The man had been a lawyer in his earlier years, joined the military and worked as a military lawyer for many years before branching out into intelligence, where he finally seemed to find his calling, and also found his wife, Margerie. But, by the time he found her, he had gone through some of the most troubling events of his career. He had access to information and stories that would haunt most people, and continued to build a normal life. He'd come from a well off family whose roots honestly began in military decorum, but the tree sprouted and seed was scattered. Most of them went into law, some into politics and some into the church business. Matthew was one of the few in many years, that actually decided that he might want to follow a military path… And it definitely had an effect on him.

Now, he was home, preparing a party for his eldest son - knowing good and well that party planning was not his area of talent. Fortunately, his 19 year old daughter had a better handle on all of the things that he would never think of. His wife would be returning home just in time enough to miss all of the planning, but to attend the gathering. The gathering was going to be 12 of the wealthiest and most influential families in the state, which Meaghan invited on clout of the Rutherford family name and sought out those with children, who may not find it strange to attend a large birthday gathering for a young boy.

Certain families, they _knew_ to expect - The Cohens, The Robinsons, and The Haywards would all most definitely be there. Those four families had several generations of closeness between them and a few marriages, as well. Matthew Sr.'s grandfather and the grandfathers of those of his generation connected through the struggle of trying to hold on to their wealth without being destroyed by the white communities surrounding them that did not wish for Black citizens to have equal access to the same type of lifestyles. So, for a time, as they built and grew, they were each other's main providers of various things.

Eventually, these four families ushered great changes in the black experience and even after they became an accepted part of general society - they passed down reminders. _Never forget your people. They had you before the rest accepted you._

Matthew Sr. had always found the families to be a bit elitist. They made sure not to "marry down," seeking out spouses who came from wealthy families or white or blended families - spouses that could maintain or elevate status and acceptance. A lot of them admittedly didn't marry for love and he wasn't about that type of life. It took him a while to get married, because he worried that his interest in Margerie was due to her family's status in the medical field and in black history as scientific pioneers. His family loved her, despite the fact that she didn't pass the paper bag test and he knew that it was because she was from even more money than he was from and she had stature.

But, he did fall in love with her and whenever he finally got around to asking her to marry him, she was practicing in her field, skilled enough to work wherever she wanted to and stationed in Philadelphia while he was still nearly constantly traveling for work.

Whenever she got pregnant with Meaghan, she actually picked up and settled their home in Ohio, near his family, to prove her seriousness to the commitment. She worked until she needed to take her maternity leave, then gave lectures, wrote books, and reviewed research for analysis after giving birth. Over the years, whenever she took her maternity leave, she did work that she could still do from home, and returned in whatever capacity that she could when her children were old enough for the family to comfortably transition to her working full time again.

Meaghan was 7 when Matt was born, and it was obvious enough to her that this boy was their father's pride and joy. He had his junior and now wanted to be able to be around home more often. He went to work for the CIA, and even though he _still_ travelled pretty regularly, he had more time to spend actually showing his face at home. Meaghan wished that she didn't harbor any hard feelings about it, but she knew that she did. Even being close to Matt and watching over him when neither parent was around and they were left with nannying couples, she kept watch of him and all later siblings. Mark was born when Matt was 2. He was often sick, but had some of the best medical care in the world, coming from a mother who was a powerhouse in the medical field.

By the time Meaghan was 10, she was used to being a surrogate mother for two boys, and had a very nurturing spirit and kind heart, but not much direction for herself. I know, at 10 - that's not really something that one necessarily needed to have… But, Matt somehow did. Hell, Matt had direction by the time he was 3. This party that she was planning for his 12th birthday was something that you would hold for a college graduate… Because Matt showed that much initiative and was this important to the family and their legacy.

At 19… She still didn't even have a major. It frustrated her mother, though Margerie never gave her a hard time about it. She was more relieved that she hadn't simply gotten pregnant and given up on college altogether. She went to community college and spent most of her free time helping to keep her siblings. She barely even had a social life, so doing this for Matt didn't even interfere with anything that she had going on.

"Dad, I maxed out the card that I was using on Matty's party. Requesting permission to move on to the birthday backup fund?" Meaghan said, at the doorway of Matthew's office.

"How could you have possibly maxed out that card, Meaghan?" He asked, reaching for his wallet, with a partially amused grin. "This is getting more expensive than your Sweet 16."

"Well… He won't have a sweet 16, so this is kinda like his Manhood Mainspring."

Matthew smirked and nodded his head, "I like that. I like that. Do we have time to put it on a sign?"

"Matty's Manhood Mainspring? I can make it happen."

"Just put Matt. He told me that 'Matty' sounds like a little kid."

"He's hardly tiptoed into puberty and already thinks he's grown," she chuckled and accepted the card from her father's fingers. "Gonna have to change the cake, too then. The things we do for love…" She left the room and called behind her, "Don't spend too much more time working, Dad. Mom tasked me with telling you to remember to relax, until she gets back from this trip."

.

Meaghan _also_ helped to raise her youngest sibling, who was born when she was 16. Miracle was named Miracle because Margerie had no idea that 16 years after her firstborn that she would actually give life to another child, and more importantly, another girl! It was slightly unfair, but Margerie and Meaghan never bonded the way that either of them wanted to. They loved each other dearly, but never had even one similarity besides loving this family. Margerie secretly hoped that she and Miracle would be able to connect more. So far, Meaghan was the one who really got that connection. The 3 year old toddler clung to her for the most part and Matty (or _Matt)_ for the remainder.

The nannying couple wasn't as hands on after Meaghan got old enough to help out and babysit alone, and now, Matt was old enough, too. Miracle was heavily babied. She was honestly a living princess. Margerie even sometimes took her with her on work trips! None of the other kids ever had that privilege. Now, Meaghan was taking her with her to finish up details for this party.

You may be wondering, why on Earth in this, The Book of Matthew (meaning Matt Rutherford Jr.), are we even looking at or thinking about who Matthew Sr., Margerie, Meaghan, Mark, and baby Miracle are?

Because, it was his connection to and the disconnection from his family that made him into the Matt he is today. All those years ago, he _thought_ that he was becoming the Matt that he would be someday… He had no idea. None of them did. For the time being, they were just living their life and loving it.

.

The Rutherford Family was all adorned in peridot and sardonyx jewelry, accessories, etc. Gladiolus and poppies garnished the setting. A table was set and elevated above all of the others, and a roundtable was set near it, where his closest friends were seated. The rest of the guests were seated in other areas of the outside party area. The venue they rented was spacious, and the twelve families invited were all present, some of them bringing extended members and other close friends of the family - all had RSVP'd. Matt didn't even know half of these people, but he did know that their presence meant a lot for his reputation. Matt's Manhood Mainspring sounded… honestly corny to him, but Meggie put so much work and energy into all of this, from making sure that the August birthstones, flowers and such were included in the aesthetic, making it look like a royal feast, or something… She liked Arthurian legend and wasn't sure if she would ever have her own children (this inspired look was likely a vicarious display of living on her part. He had friends there, so he wasn't bothered about that.

There was more formality to the ceremony than he liked and he made his family swear that next time it would just be an enjoyable party for he and his friends. But for today there were several rich families there some of their children weren't even around his age! He'd seen toddlers and little kids, but hardly any teenagers or tweens, except for ones he didn't even really know that well - the Pierce and Fabray girls, then the Smythe dude and Motta chick… It always perplexed him when parents dragged their kids to social gatherings that held no significance to them. He hoped that he wouldn't be expected to go to all of _their_ birthdays! He didn't even KNOW them!

He fortunately had friends here. Mike Chang, Anthony Rashard, and to a lesser degree Andrea Cohen and Jesse St. James. Actually, Andrea and he sometimes had to be around each other because their dads were old friends, and Jesse St. James was someone that he was interested in building a friendship with, but hadn't yet had the opportunity. In fact… The guy brought a small entourage with him to this party. _Who TF were those kids? Was that Paul Kurofsky's son? Who was that other boy with the elongated face? Didn't his father WORK FOR Jesse's father? Hank… Maybe? Ugh. Why did Meggie allow this?_

At any rate, after lunch and cake, everyone mingled and Matt hung out with Mike, Jesse and company. Hank Saunders was that kid's name and Jesse made it a point to let everyone know that his family bought Hank's party outfit. It was degrading, but he hadn't stood up for himself, sadly. Matt felt bad for the kid. Nobody was going to ever embarrass _him_ that way. Mike even commented, "It's not really nice to tell people that, Man. It's… Kinda gauche."

Jesse wondered, "You think that's gauche? What about this?" He pulled his eyelids back and began to make, "Bing bong, ching chong" noises, to his possee's entertainment. Matt's lip dropped and Mike just sighed, shook his head and left the group. Jesse called out, "Wait, Chang! I was just kidding!" He made more fake "Asian sounds."

Dave chimed in with, "We love you long time!" And everyone immediately turned on him, "Whoa… whoa… It was a joke, like Jesse's…"

"Yours went too far," Jesse told him.

On that note, Matt announced, "I'm gonna circulate some more. You guys take it easy."

Mike returned to his parents' side, holding back rage and frustration. Anthony left with Matt, announcing, "I hate Jesse St. James."

Matt shrugged his shoulders, "He's alright."

"I'm surprised he didn't make any jokes about your parents basically paying for me to be able to be here," Anthony commented.

"Jesse doesn't know about that. Anthony, my family doesn't speak about stuff like this. It's better to help people out without some type of expectation of reward or attention. That way, if you ever find yourself in need of help, you've got somebody who might be willing to give it. And, I know that if I were ever in need of help, I wouldn't want somebody just broadcasting how much I owe them… Not to say that I feel like _you_ owe us anything. We're friends." Matt gave Anthony a squeeze on the shoulder.

"Speaking of friends, you think Andrea would be interested in me? She's majorly pretty," Anthony said. The two looked over at Andrea Cohen, dolled up in the necessary color pallette, complete with accessories, like she was part of the family, or something, and surrounded by girls that she seemed to be making laugh.

"I don't see you liking her all that much beyond that, though. I don't really know her like that, but her parents are super religious. Her dad is always telling mine to come back to the church for help, and her mom and my mom always seem to be competing. I think our parents dated in school or something. It's weird."

"Okay, but she's hot, funny, and nice," Anthony pointed out. "I don't care about her parents."

"Oh, Anthony. Poor soul. Here's the thing, _she_ does. We do. You see all these people that are here? They aren't here because it's my birthday celebration. They're here for politics, appearances, social standing, and so on. I don't even know Andrea that well, even though we have been at gatherings like these our whole lives together. If she dates somebody here, it'll be one of these families that has whole tables to themselves. That's just the way that it is around here."

"I mean… I get that you're all rich and popular and stuff, but I just like her as a person. She wouldn't like me as a person?"

"What I'm trying to tell you is that it doesn't matter whether or not she likes you as a person. She couldn't date somebody that she can't bring home or bring to these gatherings, even. She couldn't date someone that other parents would call her parents, concerned about it over. She just wouldn't be able to, whether she wanted to or not. Our parents treat us like… basically like we're smaller versions of themselves. Our behavior and choices reflect upon the whole bloodline."

"I get that. I'm just trying to see if she would think that I'm legit!"

"Rashard, anybody with sense and taste would love you, Man."

"Cool. Then, I'm gonna go for it!" He rushed over to where the girls were, before Matt could say, "No, don't!" But, moments later, they all laughed, except for a clearly embarrassed Andrea, who simply took Anthony's hand and waved to her friends with it. Matt waited for them to come over to him and she handed Anthony's hand to him, "I believe this belongs to you," she said and patted Anthony on the shoulder. "Word of advice, Brother? Maybe, choose a more lowkey setting. Girls don't like to just be put on the spot like that. At least, I don't."

"You handled it with beauty and grace!" Anthony said, beaming at her.

"Give me a few years, and it'll be mase. Excuse me," she said and returned to her friends. It took Matt a moment to realize that he and Anthony were standing there holding hands, but he grabbed his back from him and they both adjusted their clothing.

"What did you do?" Matt asked.

"I just stepped to honey dip and I said, "Excuse me, Miss Cohen. I seem to be lost. But, luckily I found an angel to guide me to paradise…" Matt turned red with secondhand embarrassment.

"You're lucky she didn't punch you in the face! I've heard that she does that!"

"Yeah, that means she's feeling me, right?" Anthony asked.

"No. That means that she didn't want Hannibal and Corina on the front page for their daughter punching one of the Rutherford Foundation recipients in the face at an event!"

"Hey… If I'm stepping on your toes, let me know. I want to know NOW, if you want her like I do!" Anthony insisted.

"What? No. I'm just saying… You can't have her, so… Just leave her alone."

"She's gonna have to tell me to leave her alone. All she said was that I was too bold. Mike!" He began waving Mike back over and Mike came to where they were, curiously. "Ok, Mike. What do _you_ think about me and Andrea?" To Matt he explained, "He's not as sadidy as you."

"I'm not as rich, either. You can't go after the only Cohen girl. _I_ can't go after the only Cohen girl, and my parents are doctors!" Mike told him.

"See?"

"Look, it's like… If she was the one whose parents were doctors and my parents were hers, then yeah. She's a girl. She has to date up."

"Do any of you realize that we're kids?" Anthony asked.

"What are these 'kids' you speak of?" Matt asked. "Look at that sign," he pointed to the Matt's Manhood Mainspring banner. "Look at these guests - Judge Fabray, CEO Robinson, Representative Schuester, Buddy Freakin' Leibowitz! We're here for our folks to show off that they're building the future leaders of the world. Our childhoods are training sessions to become affluent, upstanding citizens who dominate how things are done."

"That sounds stressful. I just want to go to the roller rink and buy a girl some ice cream."

"The roller rink? What's that?" Mike asked, jokingly.

Matt jokingly answered, "It's sort of like where we skate at the country club, but smaller, and open to more people." Anthony frowned, but Matt just put an arm around him. "Don't worry, Rashard. Me and Mike will make sure you get hooked up with the best of the best outside of this ring. You're lucky that you don't have to normally think about all of this stuff whenever you just want ice cream and skating."

"I tried to bring a girl for ice cream at the country club and Jesse St. James kept insisting that I was sponsoring a charity date," Mike said, frustrated.

Anthony fumed, "I hate him! Why don't you guys ever challenge him?"

"Well, it's not that simple," Matt said. "I mean… You see how difficult dating is. We know who not to send into a tantrum."

"Matt could _easily_ challenge Jesse and have very little backlash," Mike said.

Anthony cheered, "Be the champion we deserve, Matt!"

Matt shook his head, "No, Man. He's gonna introduce me to Representative Schuester. I might be able to get a recommendation from the Schuester family with the right rapport!"

"A recommendation for what?" Anthony wondered.

Mike and Matt both said obviously, "College."

Anthony clenched his fists and looked at the sky. There wasn't a need to try to remind them that they were just kids and that they were ONLY about to go into junior high. Obviously, whatever level that they were on in their "training session" of childhood had them already too far gone. "I'm gonna go get more of those big ass shrimp," Anthony said and walked off.

Jesse was approaching, so Mike said, "And I'm going wherever he's not."

Jesse passed by Mike and reiterated, "You should learn how to take a joke, Chang!" To Matt he admitted, "Asians take themselves way too seriously."

"Shouldn't we all, though?" Matt asked.

"Ugh. Don't _you_ start, Rutherford. Come on, Preston and Will want to meet you. They're trying to see what the big deal is supposed to be." Matt shook hands for the first time with Representative Preston Schuester and his son, ADA Will Schuester when he turned 12.

You know how you never know just how much somebody is going to change your life when you first meet them? Matt didn't have that problem, typically. Even at 12, he could always just _sense_ when someone's presence would make an impact. He didn't waste his time on people if he didn't feel that when he met them. And with the Schuesters, he wasn't sure what the future held, but something told him that not only the Schuesters, but Jesse St. James were all going to be large components of change in his future.


	2. Chapter 2

**Negro, You Are a Black Child.**

"Honestly, now is the time for popularity contest prepping," Sebastian Smythe excitedly reported to Andrea Cohen at the gathering. "Here's _my_ pitch: You. Jesse St. James. A six month relationship in 6th grade. Break up, but continue banter up through high school. By sophomore year, you're faux besties and reunite as high school sweethearts. Prom Royalty by junior year, so that when _I get_ to high school, I'm already an it girl, by association."

Andrea furrowed her eyebrows, "That plan involves me dating Jesse."

"He's the king of tweens. Who else are you gonna date? Matt Rutherford? Honestly, that's the only other option for this plan. My it girl status balances on the Future Prom King candidate you select."

"I don't give a fuck about being Prom Queen," she mentioned.

"Nobody asked you that," Sebastian stated.

.

Andrea wasn't naive. She realized she was going to at least wind up in the running for one or more school dance courts. Her father was in one of the highest positions at a major network and her mother retired from professional dancing only to start her own (now very successful) black women's magazine. She had grown up in the public eye, and while it was likely she would pursuit a lifestyle in journalism, her school career needed to be the newsworthy type.

She worked hard. Her mother encouraged this by posting her progress reports and grades in her magazine, under a special segment, "Dre's Way." She had a page in each issue of _That Girl Is,_ and whether it was positive or negative was up to her behavior and accomplishments. So, she worked hard at everything. It would be embarrassing for the country to see her fail in full color.

So, the first day of school, she listened to her slightly younger friend and sized up the boys. Jesse St. James got out of a Rolls Royce driven by his driver. Many of the kids had drivers, as the school wasn't necessarily close and several parents were busy with important work. Andrea herself was dropped off in a limousine, which made a few different stops for the kids from her neighborhood, including Sebastian, who would still be in elementary. He got out and simply told her, "Pave the way," before casually strutting towards school. The last thing that she felt like doing was paving the way. She would have been content to sit down with a Gameboy Pocket and play games in between doing actual classwork, get it over and done with and proceed to high school in a few, short years. Junior high was always described as some type of awkward time. It was high school that the adults seemed to look back upon with fondness. If she could just skip to that, it'd be great. Honestly, she felt smart enough to skip to that.

She had already looked over the bulk of the content that the school intended to "teach" her this year, and she was at least a level or two above everything that she researched. What she really wanted was for them to get a little bit more serious about the computer classes. The Internet was blowing up. Technology was BOOMING, and they seemed content to teach classes on how to type on a keyboard and construct various types of papers. That was as frustrating as it was that people expected her to be searching for an adequate boyfriend already. Well, not people, but Sebby. And not adequate, but appropriate. She wasn't even interested in boys, like that. They were so primitive and the hormonal changes that they were currently going through were pitiful and annoying.

A soccer ball landed right in front of her and she almost jumped at its appearance. Instead, a boy called out, "Hey, roll that back!" She pursed her lips, used her dancer's legs and kicked it to him. He tried to catch it, and it hit him right in the chest. All of his friends laughed. One of the guys said, "Nice leg!" Suddenly, she had the confidence she needed to begin her day like the boss that she knew that she could be. Her pleated shirt swished in the wind, and she checked her knees, one last casual time, to be sure she wasn't coming up in here ashy, because that wouldn't set the wheels in motion for whatever goals Sebby had set for them. She passed right by a group of haughty white girls that she knew she was "supposed" to acknowledge, but didn't even bat her eyes at them. But, at least two of them gave follow to her and gushed over how pretty her hair was, how well she wore her skirt, how badass it was when she kicked that soccer ball so effortlessly… She held her hands up and smiled, "It's good to see you girls. Maybe, we'll end up in a class together or something, yeah?" She quickly went over to where she noticed a cluster of other black kids.

"Cohen, right?" one of them asked.

She raised an eyebrow and corrected him, "Andrea."

"My bad, Andrea," he said, with a smile and rushed to shake her hand, "I'm Ben, this is my man Pierre, and that one is Black Nick."

"Black Nick?" she repeated.

"Too many Nicks, but he's managed to be the only black one in the school."

"But, do the others have characteristics or last names. Like is there a Bug-Eyed Nick or a Short Stack Nick? Just Black Nick and a hoard of white Nicks with last names, like regular humans?" She wondered.

"I'm good with Black Nick. Makes me feel like I'm the best Nick here," he said and shrugged his shoulders.

Andrea chuckled, "I might have found my landing place." Her first day was glorious. She made new friends. She already had some followers. She got a nicely located locker. Boys were already trying to get with her, and a coach wanted her to consider trying out for the soccer team. She would not, but that was flattering in her first week. She had completely forgotten about the Jesse or Matt plan by Day 3. She had some classes with both of them, and some with either of them, but she wasn't seated by them in any of the classes. From where she was seated, generally in the back of the room - she did see some interactions between them and about them. All the girls that were fawning over Jesse. All the slacking off that he was doing and the teacher was going to pretend not to notice, because he was a St. James., and the general asshole nature of his goddamned character!

Matt, on the other hand seemed sweet enough. He smiled politely. He had a lot of determination and a strong work ethic. He didn't seem like a ton of fun, but he did at least seem like a decent human being, as opposed to the human garbage that she was calling Jesse, this early in the game. And, Sebastian had thought that perhaps Matt could be an appropriate settle. As far as she was concerned, he was _miles ahead_ of Jesse. Also, he was cuter, in her personal opinion. The plus side was being able to bring home a black boy… Yikes… She just remembered, though… Their fathers were thick as thieves, but their moms were a different story.

The women claimed that they adored each other, but she always sensed that something was off. She knew that in high school, her mother had dated Matt's dad, but that was ages ago and both of them were happily married now. Sometimes, her mother made commentary that Mrs. Rutherford "thought that she was better than the simple folk of Ohio," but Andrea had never seen any proof of that allegation (and she sort of agreed with it). Andrea was not a fan of Ohio, herself, and planned on fleeing not just the town, but the state as soon as she had a ticket out. But, if she were to bring Matt home, she wasn't sure that her mother wouldn't scrutinize him down to his core, just to spite his mom. She knew for a fact that before her parents fell in love, her mother had _definitely_ selected her ex's best friend to spite _him_ for breaking things off with her when he went into the military. She'd better play this carefully… She noticed Jesse up to something with another kid. The kid was taking Matt's backpack. She wasn't sure what he would do with it, but it wasn't happening on her watch, so she raised her hand to ask to go to the bathroom and when the teacher turned around to call upon her, the kid straightened up and dropped the bag. Matt noticed him and pulled his backpack closer and set his feet on it. The teacher asked him to remember to leave it in his locker, in the future as Andrea stepped out of class for the pretend bathroom break she'd just asked for.

She went ahead to the bathroom, in case she needed to go for later. Somebody was in one of the stalls and tried to be silent whenever they heard her come in. She found it weird, but continued on. Whoever was in there, tried to quietly do… whatever they were doing. To be honest, it sounded like more than one person was in there and she did _not_ wanna know. She finished up, came out of the stall, checked herself in the mirror, mentally told herself how dope she was, washed her hands and headed out.

Not too long afterwards, Quinn Fabray came rushing out, fixing her clothes. Andrea smiled at her and waved. _She didn't even wash her hands. She couldn't have. That was too quick._ Then, a little shorter afterwards, a dude named Clint came out of there. Andrea dropped her wave and headed back to class as Quinn caught up with her, "Hey, Andrea!" she said.

"Hello," Andrea replied, politely.

"Tell me that you'll be trying out for cheerleading with me!" Quinn said.

"Probably not. I have so many things that I want to do and cheerleading might take too much of my time."

"But, we're pretty much THE choices for Miss Junior High! Cheerleading is a staple for girls like us," Quinn said.

Andrea didn't want to seem rude, but tried to politely suggest, "I don't think that you and I are the same kind of girl, but have fun with tryouts, though. This is me," she said and ducked into a classroom." Quinn left and Andrea faced the teacher and said, "Oh, This isn't me. Sorry. First day," she giggled and about a dozen boys in the class drooled all over themselves at her. She promptly left to get back to her actual class.

.

Wooo, Lord. The first _couple of weeks_ were a trip! Sebastian had been bothering her on the daily about Jesse or Matt. She had actually taken to switching seats with a boy who was seated behind Jesse in class _in order to_ argue with him. Whenever he seemed like he was going to disrupt class, she kicked his chair and if he looked like he was going to bother Matt, she distracted him with a conversation about why he was so lackadaisical about everything.

Matt generally politely let her know that Jesse wasn't bothering him, but ashe saw for herself that the preppy brat most definitely _was,_ though. She didn't understand why a son of Matthew and Margerie Rutherford… Correction, Margerie _Blackmond_ Rutherford, would be taking any kind of mess off of anybody, and here he was - being picked on, from what she observed, for the past couple of weeks. He'd just put on a grin, laugh things off and intelligently silence them for a moment or two, but he still hung arouns them.

She could hardly wait to get that boy alone. She caught him, fresh out of the car and waved to Meghan, "Hey, Meggie! Hey Miracle!" She cheered and gushed at the toddler in the baby seat. She spoke with Meggie for a bit, and caught Matt's arm when he tried to go forward without her. After she wished his sisters well and Meghan drove away, Matt looked annoyed at her handling his shirt. He was trying to smooth it out from her fistful of his sleeve as he headed for the same kids that she'd watch make an ongoing joke of him for days. "Why you want them white boys to like you so much?"

He paused, adjusted his backpack on his arm and stared at her. She seemed to be honestly waiting for an answer. _What was this, the 1950's?_ Were people really wondering why make friends with _others?_ "I'm just trying to make friends."

She looked at Jesse St. James and his entourage. Douches, the whole circle. Even if they would have been black, she wouldn't have liked them, but the fact that none of them were, but Matt seemed to be the butt of too many of their jokes for her comfort (and she'd have hoped for his, as well). "There's black kids that you can make friends with. It's not a lot of us, but that makes it easier because we get to hang out and it doesn't even matter that some of them are a little older. They don't want us feeling alone." _And you seem lonely, Dude._ She left that part off.

"What do you mean, 'black kids'?" he asked, hoping not to sound too stupid. He sort of knew that she meant not like Jesse, but did she mean like black kids like him and her - which people sometimes grouped in with black, even though NOBODY is black or did she mean dark people, or people who spoke in the way she was speaking right now, with that bizarre broken English dialect that she was using…

But she interrupted his analysis with one head cock backwards and a simple proclamation, "Negro. You are a black child."

Matt turned red with embarrassment. That sounded like such a rude thing to say to someone. "I'm tan!" He corrected her, to her amusement. "You're tan. Your mother is tan. When we start to get to my mom, she's more of an acorn brown, while my dad is slightly tinted cream. Nevertheless, none of us are black, because there's no such thing as black people or white people. There are various shades in between, and multiple brown skinned people are commonly called black. But, even if there were black people, black people would be like… the Haywards! People like you and me aren't really black, just not as pink as the St. Jameses."

"Wow. Your parents dropped the ball." _Some people don't wanna be saved,_ she told herself when she turned to leave him to his business. could HAVE him, if this was what he was bringing to the table. Maybe she could bag Pierre. He was extremely attractive and a year older, so he at least at some age clout… She noticed that Matt was following her over to the "Black Light," their little corner of the world near the fountain. She told Ben, where he could hear her, "I found this Tom lost in the wilderness. He needs our help."

Ben pointed an ink pen at Matt and asked, "Are you ready to denounce all that white stuff and be true to who you are inside?"

"Am I ready to denounce all WHAT white stuff?"Matt asked.

Ben shrugged his shoulders, "Whatever's got you Tomming."

"Tomming? What? What is that? Is this ebonics?"Matt asked.

"Wow," Black Nick said and shook his head. "Like, an Uncle Tom?"

Matt reported, "The beloved black hero from Harriet Beecher Stowe's classic abolitionist novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin?" He clapped his hands together, "If you're ready to insult me, go for it. I can do this all day. I have been doing it over there, with the white people, and I'm tough enough to do it here. But, please, please, be clear and accurate when you insult me."

"It's a sellout. A wannabe. A coon," Andrea paraphrased.

Matt chuckled, "This is how you make friends? First off, my family is one of THE leading families in black advancement in this town…"

"Now you know what black people are?" Andrea asked.

He ignored her and kept talking, "I could be the first black president, and Uncle Tom, Dude? Uncle Tom gave his everything for other slaves to be free. He was far from a sellout. If anything, he was a die hard NEGRO, to used Dre's colorful word, and shouldn't be used as an insult!"

Andrea clasped her hands together and smiled at Ben. "I think there's hope for him, right?" Ben nodded, amused by Matt's passionate intelligence. Andrea pointed at him, "But you'd better keep this up when it's Jesse St. James' Zack Morris ass. And while I agree, it's messed up that the character of Uncle Tom has been defamed as this terminology made an explosion, my first point of don't give a fuck is that he was written by a white woman and my second point of don't give a fuck is that we get to reclaim words and phrases that they've used directed at us for whatever purposes we see fit as a people, and the third point of don't give a fuck is that if a white woman rights a black man, no matter how she tries, she's gonna depict that ass with a white heart, so maybe he did all that because he felt like negroes could be sacrificed, because while he wanted some others free, the sacrifice of himself is only noble if he had not been helping so many. Becoming a martyr didn't make him or the movement stronger."

Pierre put his hands on his temples and said, "Wow - leave it to a Rutherford and a Cohen to turn a simple game of the dozens into Black History Month, complete with oral dissertations." Black Nick laughed.

Ben shrugged his shoulders, "I appreciated being able to witness this." He then pointed his thumb at Andrea and said, "SHE could be the first black president!"

She scoffed, "Of what? The school?" They laughed and then she suddenly stopped. "The school! That's something that you should do, Matty! Run for class president!"

"Against Jesse St. James?" Matt confirmed.

Andrea nodded, "Yeah, Jesse ain't shit."

Matt clasped his fingers together, "Maybe not, but he still receives a lot of support. I was thinking about running for Vice President, proving myself, then moving forward with a more progressive election after I've gotten some rapport with the student body."

"I guess we can work with that," she said. "But, we have to beat him, at something! Anything!"

"Why do you hate him so much? Don't you barely know him?" Matt wondered.

"I've seen enough to know that he's not somebody that I want to know very well. He's rotten. I can't explain it, but he's not just some spoiled, pampered kid. He's… something terrible. My pastor says the Lord gives us a spirit of discernment, and I discern that he is just a demon in boy flesh." They all laughed at the description.

.

Whenever Matt came to school the following day, he arrived at the fountain before most of the others did. He had literally never heard of "playing the dozens" until yesterday, researched it last night, and was ready to drop some knowledge about the origins of that phrase today! He felt like to hang out with these black kids… with kids like himself… He had to know more about being black. Apparently, black parents all over the place were going ahead and teaching their children to view race and since he needed at least some company and supporters for future student council endeavors, Andrea had a point - why not start here?

Well, aside from the obvious fact that his parents had sheltered him from some things. He knew about systemic racism and even about the racism in this place, but it seemed such a small picture in comparison to say, some Southern state where people who bombed churches were still alive and members of the community. This was Ohio. There was some racism, but it wasn't like _that,_ and certainly not to the point where it seemed like he shouldn't befriend Jesse and the others. But, he was extremely curious to know these kids around the fountain, too, and he had to admit - he felt a connection with them that he couldn't describe. Meghan said it was likely ancestral. Ben, Pierre and Black Nick arrived around the same time, discussing some tv shows that Matt didn't watch.

"Hey, Yellabone - How you feel about the fact that Martin's cancelled?" Black Nick asked.

Matt thought for a moment, "The tv show? I never saw it…" They started laughing. He held out his hands, "How could that _possibly_ be comical?"

Black Nick shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, but it quite possibly IS!" They laughed a little more. "Do you ever do _anything_ that other black people like?"

"I'm sure that I do! I'm sure that plenty of black people love doing all of the things that I love. We aren't all a stereotype."

"Do you watch New York Undercover?" Pierre wondered.

"Well, Negro, if I say no, will you three bust out laughing?" Matt asked. They busted out laughing on that alone.

Andrea walked up and said, "Hey - you're _supposed_ to be making him feel welcome!"

"He is! He's real comfortable," Ben insisted, with tears in his eyes, "Say 'Negro" again! Oh my God, you sounded like the Brothers Tom on In Living Color! Please, please, one more time, for Andrea!"

Andrea said softly to Matt, "This is something we do for some reason, whenever we get together. Don't take it the wrong way. It's not like what they do over there on the school steps. This is a more familial ridicule. It's in good fun and helps thicken the skin. Because they're gonna say much more and much worse about us out there… And they'll _mean_ something by it."

Matt held up his finger and reported, "Actually, I know exactly what you're talking about. Playing the dozens, right? Researched it last night and came prepared."

"Are you about to get us?" Black Nick asked, excited.

Matt looked confused, "Get you? Not unless you mean with a history lesson."

"No, Man. I meant like we've been getting you all morning."

Matt waved a hand, "You need better material. At any rate, let me speak to you brothers about the dozens. This is history that they would never feature in the curriculum at this school, so prepare to be educated…" Andrea smirked at him and observed the other older boys, listening and responding to Matt's findings. Determination. Work ethic. Cute. Engaging. A good sport… Yeah… Definitely, Matt. He looked at her and wondered why she was smiling. She blushed and laughed at herself. "I was just thinking about something Sebby told me at the start of school."

"Who?" The guys asked in unison.

"Sebastian Smythe," she said. They didn't know him, but people knew the Smythe name, at least. "He's my neighbor. He was saying how me and Matt would look cute together, or whatever," she chuckled.

Matt blushed now, too. "I wish that were the case!"

She tilted her head, "Really?"

"I mean - I wish it was possible, but it isn't," he said.

"How so, Matt? Nothing but air and opportunity, bruh," she said, to the other boys' entertainment.

"Anthony likes you," Matt said.

"Who?" The guys and Andrea now asked.

"Anthony. My friend, Anthony. You met him at my birthday party," Matt said. "He came over and tried to talk to you with a weak line."

"OH!" She cackled into the sky. "Be for real. You know I could never date that boy. My mother would size YOU up. If he came to our door, she'd throw his ass out like Jazzy!" They all laughed, including Matt, who understood a reference! Finally! "I mean, he was corny, but he did seem nice. Too bad that my parents would never, ever let me see a boy whose parents' net worth didn't at least match theirs."

"It is too bad. Because he's super nice and super cool. It's also too bad, because it automatically puts you off limits for me. But that Smythe kid is right. We _would_ look cute together."


	3. Chapter 3

**Little Black Voice**

"Are we friends, or no?" Andrea asked, handing Matt her favorite flavor Fruitopia drink.

"Yes?" He answered, confused, accepting the drink that he never asked for.

"So, I can be real with you, then?" She asked, but he knew that was merely fodder. Something mad disrespectful was likely next.

"Since when have you ever been concerned with not being real?" He asked, slow to open what must be some type of bribe drink.

"This is true. I generally just say whatever is on my mind, trying to smooth it over with a little charm, here and there. I just feel like you sometimes get WAY MORE upset with _me_ than you tend to get with just about everybody else that tells you something."

Matt opened his drink took a drink and nodded, "Consider me warned. Proceed." He disagreed with her assessment, but wanted to know what this was about more than he wanted to argue with her that she was wrong and to point out his side of that story - that he got more upset with her because she talked in a way that he found to be rude. Then, she would probably say that he wouldn't think it was rude if she was a boy and bring up a bunch of alleged examples of Jesse speaking what she felt was even more rudely...

"Okay… So, I am coming to you in friendship and in love…" He was already leery and doubtful, "Sometimes, you say and do stuff that has you looking… Well… Like a little bitch." _There it was. Offense activated._ "Because, I know that you're just trying to be tactful and clear-headed. You know that you're just trying to keep the peace and not make a big deal out of stuff. But _some_ might say that you're being a respectable negro for all of our white peers. You can be open and honest and still be cool. I do it. Nobody ever seems to think that I'm a little bitch, and yet, everybody is trying to get on my good side, still. Probably because they know that I can be a whole nother kind of bitch, but whatever the reason - most of these kids don't play with me like that. People disrespect you behind your back all day. All walks of life. I'm not trying to be mean, but maybe you should stand up for yourself a little more. Or, at the very least not let all these white kids get away with everything. Does any of this make sense to you, Friend?"

"Yeah. You think that I'm what you call an Uncle Tom. That's not news," he said.

"Maybe not, BUT - It _is_ why there's no way that you'll win student council class president this year. Nobody likes a pushover in power, even if the power only matters to a bunch of 6th graders. And the white kids are gonna mostly vote white, just because they're simple enough that even a respectable negro is still a negro."

"Are you trying to be my campaign manager, because Meggy is already doing that."

"First - how sad for her. She's a grown woman. What is this? Saved by the Bell? Second - What I look like to you? I'm my own campaign manager. Oh yeah. The point of this conversation was to let you know that I'm running for president and to remind you that you wouldn't have won, even if I hadn't. Okay, bye-bye." She walked off and no less than six girls fell in step with her, telling her of how proud and excited that they were that another girl was running for president. The popular girls usually don't, because they're so busy getting their footing on not being at the top of the ladder anymore, in between 5th and 6th grades. The girls that did run were girls that knew that they didn't stand a chance, but went for it anyway. Andrea stood a chance, even in comparison to Jesse St. James.

As Andrea and Company left, one of the girls offered, "Maybe you could run for First Boy?" A couple of them cackled, a few giggled. Andrea was unbothered.

Jesse approached and wondered, "What just happened?"

"Andrea just announced that she's running for 6th grade president!" Matt complained.

"Awesome. She'll split the already small black vote. Gonna get started on my victory T shirt designs, in that case." Jesse pat him on the back and walked off with friends.

Matt threw half of the drink into the trash and complained, "Doesn't even taste like any kind of fruit!"

.

Matt dropped out of the election. Jesse was right, he'd split the black vote. Andrea was also right - he couldn't win over the white people. Hell, maybe even that insulting girl who told him to run for First Boy was right. He'd have to check with Anthony, to see if he approved, but… Wait, what? He wasn't gonna date Andrea! She was mean. And, she came out of nowhere with this goal. Why did she even WANT to be 6th grade president?

The height of Jesse's campaign was to point at someone and ask, "You know me, right? Who am I?" And every child would answer, because everyone _did_ know him. But, that wasn't the case for Andrea, so what she did instead was to wear a uniform appropriate version of a shirt that read, _The Girl Who Can Beat Jesse St. James,_ "You see, it's multiple meaning, because even if I can't get the votes, I know I could whup his ass, I mean if I had to, not like unprompted…" She laughed with the Black Light.

She also spent time with several different groups. She went around, just speaking to folks and posing the question, "Okay, so we all know that we all know Jesse… But, does he know _you?"_

Kids would give instances - everything from, "He's borrowed 75 pencils from me and never knew that it was me." to "He incited a wedgie attack on me and didn't even know my name." One kid said that St. James gave him laxative chews, then snapped photos of him whenever he ran to the toilet, and over the stall as he tried to hide and poop at the same time. "Soooo… He's bullied you. Hopefully you don't feed that relationship when it's time to vote."

She still managed to lose to him, but, she honestly hadn't wanted the additional responsibility anyway. She only did it because she thought it might irritate him, which it did. The win was close. Very, very close - far too close for him comfort. He thought he might now start to bully her, but she grabbed him by his tie and pulled his face to hers and said, "Look me in my eye and say whatever you just said to your little friends."

"Are you crazy?" He asked and freed himself from her hold.

"Are you a coward?" She asked back. He was red in the face, but something about her expression scared him that day. This girl might actually punch me in the face in front of all of these people.

Then, what would he do? She was waiting on his response. Should he tell the truth? Would she grant him mercy? Should he lie and look like a coward in front of his friends? He said, "I said that you look like Grant Hill in a skirt," he said, daring it. His friends laughed again.

"Hmmm… Exactly your mom's type, I'm sure," she said back, without even a blink. Jesse grew redder in the face, while she just raised an eyebrow and stared at him, waiting. Matt covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.

"What are _you_ laughing at, Rutherford?" Jesse asked.

"Same thing everyone is laughing at!" Matt snapped back. How was he gonna try to turn the tables on him? Oh no, not after this girl just punked you this way. He wasn't about to let Jesse brush off this punking onto him. Something about seeing Andrea clown Jesse that way gave Matt a little more confidence. Jesse stormed off, not used to being the one being put on the spot this way.

Andrea smirked at his retreat, turned to Matt and wondered, "You comin' with, Mattie?" Matt thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm coming."

.

Matt was loving jr. high. After he stopped trying to please his peers, he was seen to actually be a pretty cool kid, to most kids. He was highly involved, trying to already get in the habit and process of working that transcript, though. He and Andrea were both super active in various activities, both academic and physical. Her main interests were outside of school, but all one needed to do was get parents to contribute to bring forth school activities that they desired. It was how Jesse got rugby. So, Andrea put an equestrian team in the place, as that was one of her passions.

While she was lifelong trained in classical dance and continuing that, she also joined the swim team, founded the equestrian club, became the yearbook photographer, and worked on the yearbook team, and for the hell of it, tried out for cheerleading and soccer, and got herself prime spots.

Matt played football, basketball, and baseball, mostly to prep for their high school levels - fraternities frequently loved athletes. He remained in Student Council, joined junior NAACP, school court, and eventually National Junior Honor Society. Jr. High was a breeze and more fun than he initially believed it would be. He and Andrea also got extremely close, without him noticing it.

At a certain point, he realized that they were often at each others' houses, watching TGIF on ABC, then Snick on Nickolodeon. Going places like the movies and the mall. Venturing out together for events and parties that their parents were going to force them to go to anyway... And even more importantly, at least to Matt - Andrea was something that he had no other words to describe than to call her his _Little Black Voice._ He wrote a poem about it for a language arts assignment, which earned him multiple laughs and a meeting between the teacher and his parents, which they had to intercede and tell the teacher about herself over.

But, Matt would just be about to do something, and Andrea's look or tone would make him rethink it. After all, she was always winning. He was always winning, too… But people hated him. They were at the mall, selecting some things for an upcoming school dance when Matt picked up a shirt. "Do you really want to do that in your skin?" She wondered.

"What? You don't like it?"

"Do you?"

"Yeah."

She snickered, "Then, that's all that matters. I mean, I won't participate when the fellas raw you for coming in dressed like somebody's uncle on ya daddy side at the reunion, but I might laugh if there's a peep of an Easter Sunday with Jerome…"

"Why can't you just say you don't like it?" He asked, exasperated.

"Why would I do that, Friend? I'm not wearing it." He kept it in his hand and she giggled to herself and said under her breath, "Looking like a 1992 rap video on the afterschool…"

"OKAY!" He said and shoved the hanger back onto the rack.

"Wear what you want!" She insisted. "I'm getting mine out the way now, so I can laugh when Black Light does it and agree when someone makes a joke similar to ones I already made today!" She pouted, "You boring."

But, whenever it was time for finding dates, Matt still asked her, "Hey - since we're both going, wanna go to the dance together?" He asked. She looked shocked and a little disappointed.

"Oh. I actually am bringing somebody from another school. I thought that we agreed that we weren't gonna be each other's plans for dances and dates?" She really looked like she felt bad and that kinda made him feel more rejected, even though he tried to save face.

"Yeah! Yeah, you're right - we did. I just been slacking off and haven't asked anybody. Maybe I'll just get Anthony to come with me. That's okay, right? Or is that like… unacceptable socially or whatever?"

Now, she turned pink and looked a little more embarrassed than before, "It normally would be fine, because you can spend time with whoever you want… But, in this particular case… I'm actually bringing Anthony to the dance with me…" She forced an uncomfortable smile.

"Really? You know he's got a girlfriend, right? He's been talking to her for weeks…" She was red in the face and nodded her head. "You're okay with that? Seems wrong. He used to like you and now you're bringing him on a date, even though you know he has a girlfriend… Whoa… Wait… Are YOU Rashard's girlfriend? WAIT!"

She shrugged her shoulders, "He's nice."

"Yeah. He's definitely my homeboy, but…" He laughed, "What about the whole 'Oh, I can't date that penniless boy,' thing, then?"

"That's not exactly what I said. I said that my parents would have an issue with it, but I have talked to mom, and her main concerns about this stage of me dating are if I make decisions that affect my body or my future. So, technically, right now, I can date whoever I want as long as I don't have unprotected sex or consider marriage. Basically, me dating is me being friends and calling a friend special and taking him to dances."

"Oh. Okay. Well… That's kinda honestly awesome. My two best friends are gonna be dating and I get to hang out with both of you at the dance."

"You're not gonna feel like a third wheel?"

"I WASN'T! Now, I will. Should I?" He frowned.

"No! Just… sometimes people feel that way. I don't care about this boyfriend label that much, Matt. For me, all it means is that if I wanna do something with someone, Ant should be my first choice."

"And is he?"

"Obviously. I'm bringing him to our school dance… In front of people like Jesse. It's actually a big deal for me, and I didn't know exactly how I was gonna break it to you. Especially with us being so cool, now. Like… I thought maybe you'd be mad that I'm dating your friend… That you might think I wasn't gonna do him right…"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Nothing like that. I mean, you have your moments, but I know that you're a good person. You always have my back. You're super cool. You be making me feel bad sometimes, but nobody's ever fought for me as hard as you do." He gave her a serious look, "But if you play my boy silly, we will have beef." She threw her head back and cackled.

.

At the school dance, Andrea, Matt, Anthony and several other black kids were in a little group themselves, dancing and hanging out. There were a few others who were with their circles of friends.

Jesse was with several upperclassmen and eventually came over to retrieve Matt. "Hey, Rutherford. Come hangout over here."

Matt turned to look at his friends. They all were having a pretty good time and he hadn't had the chance to meet some of those guys. Besides, it was oddly weird to be around Andrea and Anthony… in a relationship. They did a lot of laughing together - more than he and Andrea or he and Anthony laughed together. Anthony was affectionate, whether or not Andrea casually brushed off his affections. And seeing them dance all up on each other? Yeah, Matt had time to make some rounds with Jesse. "It's so strange to see her with that riffraff. Did she lose a bet?" Jesse asked.

"That's extremely rude. Besides, you don't even like her," Matt said, over the music.

"No, I hate her, but that doesn't mean that it isn't weird to see her literally dating actual trash," Jesse said. "And I thought that the two of you were going to be a thing."

"No, it's not like that. We're friends."

"Well, if she doesn't see you for how great you are, she doesn't deserve you," Jesse told him.

"Why are you saying this like I wanted her and she turned me down for him?"

"I heard that was what happened. That she shut you down, then she totally called you a third wheel," Jesse instigated.

"No. That's not what happened. I mean, I can see how it might sound like that to someone passing by, but that's not how it was."

"Okay. Meet the guys…"

.

Matthew Sr. had been taking it easy on the work front, but his leave of absence was nearly as stressful as working. Lawyer friends and others would ask him to help them with cases. His friends on the police force would ask to borrow his expertise on investigations. His children thought of him as a "house daddy." He was over it. Even if he wasn't ready to return to the field, he was beyond ready to work again, so he generally took on these different tasks.

"Dad!" He heard Matt call out as he was in his office. Not too much later, the boy appeared in his doorway, "Mr. Hayward is here."

"Send him in, Son," Matthew Sr. told him. Matt looked annoyed, but went to go do just that. He had things to do today!

"Dad said come on in," Matt said, grabbing his bag and left out of the front door.

Mr. Hayward went to Matthew's office. "That kid of yours… Is he matched up with Hannibal's kid?"

"Not likely. That little girl is as gay as a rainbow raining Skittles," Matthew said. "What brings you here?"

"I was wondering if you wouldn't mind looking into something for me," Mr. Hayward said. "Before you judge, yes - it _is_ involving Will Schuester, but it has absolutely nothing to do with our current case."

"That's good. Because, I don't like getting involved with your politics."

"My politics are always the right ones, and you know it. The Schuesters and their racism have been thorns in the sides of both of our families for generations, and this case that were up against each other is critical to the precedent that we intend to set for the state of the homeless in Ohio. Will Schuester wants to see an Ohio where nobody is homeless… and I do too. The difference is that he wants to lock them up or ship them off instead of actually helping them to find homes. This man really intends to have a platform of criminalizing homelessness when he runs for office, and if he wins this case, he might have a big chance in getting people to believe that's the best option."

"I thought that your favor didn't have anything to do with your case."

"It doesn't, directly. But, you know how people are. They'll see a win as a sign that he's the best choice for office. Look at his homeless policies. Are they what you want Ohio, or even just the city to look like within a few years?"

"I think that whether or not I look into Schuester and find you any type of dirt on him… Whatever policies that family wants to move forward, will. Look, whenever I worked with the police department, their hands were on every level, in every precinct."

"You also worked in the CIA," Mr. Hayward reminded him. As if he needed a reminder. "Just… See if there is anything that can discredit his humanity. It doesn't have to win the case. If we can show the people in this place that he's not who they think, they might not follow him the way that he wants. You could stop things from happening like what happened to John Jones." Hayward took a seat across from his friend. "Black man, just trying to make a living for his family, gets caught up in petty crime to feed them, gets locked up for years, released, only to die horribly a short time later."

"That was sad, but he _did_ break the law," Matthew said.

"Yeah, and a lot of people do. That means that they have to be locked up for being hungry, or die because they had no place to sleep?"

"You know it doesn't…"

"Just… Help a brother out. If not me, Mr. Jones. It's a sad story. Look it up, then imagine it happening all over Ohio, if Schuester can help it."

"You need anything else, Jeffery?"

Matthew asked. Mr. Hayward stood up, sighed and commented, "I'll see myself out."

After he was gone, Matthew typed _John Jones_ into the search engine of his computer. "That sonofabitch…" He said, shaking his head. Jeffery knew Matthew's sense of justice and curiosity would push him to look into this assignment, and even the captions on these stories were enough for him to feel like enough had not yet been done to help. He picked up his landline phone and pressed a memory dial number. "It's Rutherford. Wondering if I can get back into the office. I have something that I'd like to look into. Would appreciate the access to my old resources. Thanks. I'll owe you one."

.

"So, you hated it?" Matt asked and laughed.

"I wouldn't say that I hated it," Andrea said, but her face was stricken with disgust, "But I definitely didn't like it. It was wet and too warm, and tasted like old chips…"

"I never want to kiss. That sounds miserable. Maybe just with the right person?"

"But, Anthony is great. He's really cool."

"I mean… I agree, but I don't want to kiss him, either."

"I'm never kissing again. I feel traumatized," she said. Matt cackled. "What was happening with you and that girl at the dance?"

"What girl?" he wondered.

"There was a girl that you were talking to when you ditched us for Jesse. She seemed super into you. You even danced with her."

"Oh! I don't even know that girl's name. Some eight grader."

"She was cute. You're not gonna holla?"

"Should I be doing that in my skin?"

"I'm talking about a black girl. Who are you talking about?" Andrea wondered.

"The same girl, but I mean… Well, you know… We're often expected, in the circles we have to…"

"Let me stop you there. If you like somebody, date them. That's all that there is to it. I can't be your black connection forever." She winked at him, "And… I got church stuff to do, so I have to hit the road." She started walking away, then turned around and said, "So, I wanted to say thank you. You know, we're in some of the craziest years of our lives right now, with the hormones and all that. It's good to have somebody be a real friend." She smiled and kept going.

"You're welcome…" he said after she was already gone.


End file.
